Wood block flooring



Patented Feb. 19, 1935 Woon BLOCK FLOORING Glenn G. Rhinevault, Saginaw, Mich., assignor to E. L. Bruce Company, Memphis, Tenn., a corporation of Delaware Application October 5,

v3 Claims.

1My invention relates to a wood oor block that is fabricated from a plurality of short strips of wood and one 'of the objects of the invention is to provide'a means for locking together thestrips I of wood, that will be cheap in construction, easily `applied and emcient in use.

Referring to the drawing for a more complete disclosure of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a fabricated block, showing a fragmentary section;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a broken enlarged" section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

'I'he pieces of wood'2 which form the block, having been cut to the desired lengths, are then put through a machine which cuts a groove 3 transversely of the grain in each end. Each strip of woodpreferably has a tongue 4 along one edge and a groove 5 along the other edge, so that in joining the strips together to form a block'the tongue and grooves of adjacent strips will fit together'. The strips of wood may have on their underside the customary hollow back 6 or shallow groove that is present in most strip flooring.

For permanently holding the strips 2 in assembled relationship, I use a malleable metal spline 7 in the end grooves 3. This spline is preliminarily inserted in the end groove in the form of a split tube, as shown in dotted lines, and is' of 30 a diameter so that it will flt loosely therein. Thereafter the tube is flattened out so that it increases in width to such an extent as to be in tight frictionaluengagement with the sides of` the grooves 3.

Itwill be noted that the lateral edges of the 4 spline will tend to brace the thin overhanging portions oi the ends of the block on each side oi the end grooves. Thus the splines provide supports for the blocks which reenforce them in 1929, serial No. 397,604

(o1. zin-) their weakest portions, that is, along the portions on each side of the grooves.

'I'he tube may be flattened outin various ways as by pressing down on the whole length of the `tube at once or by running a roller lengthwise I of the tube to gradually flatten it out.

The depth' of the groove 3 is slightly greater than the depth of the tongue 4, of the adjacent block which ts into the groove, when the blocks are assembled in the floor.

While I have disclosed the spline 'l in the end groove of the block, it is apparent that the'same kind of a spline could' be inserted in a groove or grooves running transversely of the underside of the block. 4 v I claim:

1. A composite block formed of strips of wood, a groove in theblock transversely of the strips, a countersunk malleable metal spline lying flat in the bottom of the grooves of all the strips and pressed. into tight frictionaly engagement with the sides of the grooves for locking the strips of the block together.

2. A composite block formed of strips of wood,

a groove in the block transversely of the ends of the strips, a malleable metal spline expanded into and lying flat in the bottom of the end grooves of all the strips and held tight therein by frictional engagement with the sides of the grooves for locking the strips of the block to- 3o gether.

3. A composite block formed of strips of wood,

a groove in the block transversely of the strips, a malleable metal spline for locking the strips of the blocks together, formed of a tube that is ilattened out so that it increases in width to such an extent as to be in tight frictional engagement with the sides of the grooves. Y

GLENN G. RHINEVAULT. 

